Ok, we're out of Paris and into Normandy. We escaped the squalor of our Paris hostel (where at least one person had to be carted away in an ambulance for alcohol poisoning) and moved ourselves into a hotel in Bayeux, since the only hostel in town is full. Glory of all glories, we have a shower I'm not afraid to use!
I have to say, this trip isn't at all what I was expecting. After my last rambling voyage, this seems so tame that I'm--well, quite frankly, I'm bored. I'm loving the time with Walker, and the escape from obligation is relieving, but there's no sense of adventure or discovery. I guess I never thought about what we would do after we'd had crèpes in the cafés and admired the scenery. It's like being in a painting. You can see the picturesque images all around you, but you can't ever touch it or be a part of it.
That being said, we made a bit of our own adventure by attempting what should have been an easy 3km hike to an orchard and cidèrie, but instead ended up in a pasture with the biggest cows I've ever seen. Like Ford Explorer big. And not particularly thrilled to see us. We hiked back along the road rather than climb over fences and through nettles again.
Yesterday, we rented a car and drove to Mont St. Michel, a town and castle/monestary built on an island. It would be considered an architectural miracle today, and 1300 years ago it was what the Europeans thought heaven looked like. It is inaccessible at high tide, and it looks like you have to drive through the kingdom of Catan to get there. Whoever owns the nearest sheep port is making bank... I know I promised photos at this point, but the internet here is slower than most places in Morocco, so you'll have to wait a bit longer, désolé.
I have to say, this trip isn't at all what I was expecting. After my last rambling voyage, this seems so tame that I'm--well, quite frankly, I'm bored. I'm loving the time with Walker, and the escape from obligation is relieving, but there's no sense of adventure or discovery. I guess I never thought about what we would do after we'd had crèpes in the cafés and admired the scenery. It's like being in a painting. You can see the picturesque images all around you, but you can't ever touch it or be a part of it.
That being said, we made a bit of our own adventure by attempting what should have been an easy 3km hike to an orchard and cidèrie, but instead ended up in a pasture with the biggest cows I've ever seen. Like Ford Explorer big. And not particularly thrilled to see us. We hiked back along the road rather than climb over fences and through nettles again.
Yesterday, we rented a car and drove to Mont St. Michel, a town and castle/monestary built on an island. It would be considered an architectural miracle today, and 1300 years ago it was what the Europeans thought heaven looked like. It is inaccessible at high tide, and it looks like you have to drive through the kingdom of Catan to get there. Whoever owns the nearest sheep port is making bank... I know I promised photos at this point, but the internet here is slower than most places in Morocco, so you'll have to wait a bit longer, désolé.
Well, today is my birthday. As with France, I hadn't considered the immediate future beyond 21. Obviously I knew I'd turn 22, but I just hadn't though of the birthday itself passing. Walker surprised me this morning by offering to take me horseback riding along the beach, which made me super excited. Then when we went to rent a car to go to the stables a few towns over, the car place was closed, so we walked to the next one. Also closed. We began noticing that everything was closed. Turns out today is the Catholic Feast of Ascenscion--in other words, the entire country of France closes down. So no horseback riding, though we did manage to get enough food for luch and dinner before the supermarket closed early. Our bedroom looks like a Y2K shelter. We did manage to get a cake, which is great since I didn't have one last year. We plan on spending the rest of the day alternately walking around town, reading, and doing crossword puzzles. As for the Catholics, let them--actually, nevermind. No cake for them.
Happy Birthday!!!
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